How Indian Navy has emerged as a regional submarine rescue provider in Indian Ocean Region

With this technology, India joins the exclusive group of countries which have this unique capability and has put the Indian Navy in a position to not only provide rescue cover to its own submarines but also to other friendly nations in the IOR and beyond.

Before being inducted the system had undergone extensive trials and had set many records at sea.

Earlier this week the Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) based at Visakhapatnam, successfully undertook live mating exercise. This is a new skill that has been acquired by the Indian Navy and this live mating is a huge achievement.

As reported earlier, the trapped DSRV has the capability to rescue personnel from a distressed submarine (DISSUB) up to a depth of 650 m. Designed to meet the requirements of the Indian Navy, by M/s James Fishes Defence, UK, it is equipped with the latest technology and capabilities.

According to the official spokesperson of the Indian Navy, Capt DK Sharma, this has paved the way for the Indian Navy to emerge as a Submarine Rescue Provider in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

The exercise included personnel transfer from the bottomed submarine, INS Sindhudhvaj, which was simulating as a Distress Submarine to surface using the DSRV and the whole process was done by the Indian crew, marking the culmination of the training phase on the East Coast. The submarine hatches on which the mating was carried out has been certified by the IN Submarine Designer i.e. DND (SDG).

Navy’s DSRV which was inducted last year has side scan sonar for locating the position of the submarine in distress at sea, which will help in providing immediate relief by way of posting Emergency Life Support Containers with the help of Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV).

When there is a submarine accident, speed is critical for saving lives. Therefore, for ensuring quick mobility, the system has been purchased in a Flyaway configuration which allows quick transportation of the Rescue System from the base to the exact location of the distressed submarine; the transportation is done using air/land/sea vessels.

Before being inducted the system had undergone extensive trials and had set many records at sea.

With this technology, India joins the exclusive group of countries which have this unique capability and has put the Indian Navy in a position to not only provide rescue cover to its own submarines but also to other friendly nations in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and beyond.